New Tank Cycling - No ammonia, high nitrites and high nitrates

[MartynC95]

I have had my tank 2 weeks (I know a short time), and I am doing a fishless cycle and I have been adding 3-4pppm ammonia every 2/3 days. Last 3/4 days when I have done my tests the Ammonia is at 0ppm but Nitries are up at 8ppm and Nitrates 80ppm. They don't seem to be coming down.

Do I do a water change to bring them down? If so how much?

Do I keep adding Ammonia? 1-2ppm?

Or do I just leave it now?

My tank is a Juwel Rio 180. I have removed the carbon filter after a week and am adding Seachem Flourish twice a week for my crips, anubias, amazon sword and something else (can't remember the name), I also have a healthy amount of algae growing on all my plants and 2 pieces of drift wood. PH is 7/7.5, temp fluctuates from 25.5 to 26.5 celsius, KH is 5dKH and GH is 7dGH.

I am very unsure as every site/video seems to say something different.

Thanks!

[Aiken Drum]

Test water parameters everyday. If your ammonia drops below 1ppm then dose back upto 2ppm. Keep doing this until you see 0ppm ammonia and nitrite 24 hours after redosing. Then your aquarium is cycled. Big water change is then needed to bring nitrates down to 10ppm or below and you can add fish.

If your nitrite gets higher than your test kit can read then do a water change to bring them down to readable levels (say 50% change to half nitrite levels). Nitrates wont ever come down through cycling, only through water changes, so dont worry about nitrates until you want to add fish.

[MartynC95]

Thanks very much! I will keep adding the ammonia